


Questions

by sandersonsister



Series: Writers Block Character Prompts - Haikyuu! [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21979360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandersonsister/pseuds/sandersonsister
Summary: Kenma wasn't sure how this happened. He had a lot of questions he needed to answer - and the biggest one is if he truly has feelings for Kageyama Tobio.
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio/Kozume Kenma
Series: Writers Block Character Prompts - Haikyuu! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582075
Comments: 8
Kudos: 271





	Questions

**Author's Note:**

> Bit of an explanation here - I have a cup on my table that holds slips of paper. On each paper is either the name of a character or a fanfiction trope. When I have writers block, I pick a couple of those slips of paper and make myself write a story based on whatever it is I picked. Usually, these stories just sit on my computer but I decided to post a few of the better ones. Hope you all enjoy it!

Kenma had no idea how this happened.

The first time he had met Karasuno’s setter, the younger boy had made him nervous enough that he had literally fled and hid until it was time for his team to leave. When the other school had joined Nekoma for their training camps, Kageyama had been so focused on his training that Kenma had barely seen the other boy outside of their games.

He wasn’t sure when that avoidance had changed to the two of them messaging each other daily.

If he had to put a date on it, he would pinpoint the beginning of their odd friendship being at Nationals in his second year. It was then that Kenma had finally had his ‘moment’, as Kuroo later called it. The moment he actually began to like volleyball.

It was after Nekoma’s loss that Kageyama had approached him. Instead of throwing multiple questions at him like he had done the first time, Kageyama had just looked at him with this…glint in his eye. It had been unnerving, extremely so. It was an expression that Kenma expected to see on Tsukishima’s face, not on Kageyama’s.

“Can I…” Kageyama suddenly spoke, the calm expression disappearing only to be replaced by a familiar type of anxiety. “I would like to be able to message you,” the boy finally said, speaking so quickly that it took Kageyama a moment to actually understand the words that had been said. By the time the words had registered, Kageyama was already bowing lowly and holding out his phone.

Kenma blinked at the sudden formality but sent a quick glare to his right where Kuroo was muffling a laugh. He saw Kageyama’s blush darken and he knew that the other boy had to be aware that he was being laughed at.

He was certain that was the real reason he took Kageyama’s phone and entered his information. He knew how nerve wracking it was to do what Kageyama had just done, knew the deep pit that would appear in you stomach when the person you tried to approach just ignored you. Months ago, he wouldn’t have thought he and Kageyama would have had anything in common, more specifically, anything in common regarding their anxiety, but after speaking to Shoyo, he knew that he was mistaken. Seeing Kageyama put himself out there and then get embarrassed by it… well, it hit a little too close to home for Kenma and he had the sudden urge to help Kageyama in any way he could.

And that was how Kageyama got Kenma’s contact information.

Kenma had been nervous for weeks after that, jumping each time he got a new message. After a month, he had calmed enough that the sound of his phone didn’t make his heart race. After a couple more, the fact Kageyama had it at all had slipped his mind.

But then, Kageyama sent him a message.

It was just a simple message, asking how Nekoma was doing now that the third years had retired. Kenma had the distinct feeling that the other boy was having trouble adjusting to the loss of Karasuno’s captain, Ace, and setter. He decided to tell him the truth – that it was always difficult at first to figure out but things were slowly getting to be the new ‘normal’. Even if Kenma desperately missed his best friend and libero.

Things had just kind of…shifted from there.

Conversations, at first, merely consisted of questions from the first year. Kenma would answer. Kageyama would thank him, and that would be the end of it. Then the conversations began to grow longer and started to happen more and more often. And then they just…didn’t stop. It was one long, continuous conversation that only paused whenever the two boys were in class or at practice. Even then, they tended to message each other during breaks.

Kenma wasn’t sure when he began conversing more with Kageyama Tobio than he did with Kuroo or Shoyo. He also wasn’t sure when everyone he knew seemed to be knowledgeable of that fact.

“Kenma, what time with Karasuno be arriving?” Coach Nekomata asked a few days before their Golden Week training camp.

Kenma blinked as every eye turned in his direction, all looking at him expectantly. “I…don’t know?” Was that something he was supposed to know? He was vice captain, was he supposed to contact Karasuno? But the camp wasn’t even being held at Nekoma…though Karasuno was coming based on their invitation…

Various looks were exchanged, some of them extremely worried. “Kenma, did you have a fight with Kageyama?” Inuoka questioned with a dark frown.

“…no?”

“You can tell us, Kenma-san!” Lev fretted, his hands waving frantically. “We can keep you away from him if we need to!”

Many of his teammates nodded in agreement at Lev’s words and Yamamoto began to crack his knuckles menacingly. “We didn’t have a fight, Lev,” Kenma said tiredly, completely confused but not wanting to dig too deeply into the situation. He turned his attention to Coach Nekomata once again. “Kageyama hasn’t mentioned what time they are leaving. I can ask him after practice.”

Nekomata nodded and resumed with his announcements.

Kuroo thought the situation was hilarious when Kenma told him about it that night. Kenma could only watch as his best friend broke down laughing on the other side of the monitor, his eyes closed as he brayed. Kuroo had insisted that the two of them video chat once a week after he went to University and it was moments like this that Kenma regretted agreeing.

“What’s so funny?” a new voice fcut in and Kenma mentally groaned as Kuroo’s roommate came into the video.

Oikawa Tooru looked at Kuroo expectantly after giving Kenma his customary “Yoohoo!” and a finger wave. Kuroo described the events between his laughter, tears streaming down his face. Kenma was tempted to just close the conversation completely but he found himself somewhat fascinated by the play of emotions on Oikawa’s face. His expectant smile had fallen as soon as the name “Kageyama” passed Kuroo’s lips but he didn’t interrupt. Instead, his eyebrows slowly began to rise and he kept shooting Kenma looks – first disbelief, then confusion, and finally, a sort of resignation that instantly put Kenma on edge.

When Kuroo finally fell silent, Oikawa let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I thought you were the smart one.”

Kenma’s jaw clenched and all the amusement instantly drained from Kuroo at the words. “Watch it,” he growled lowly.

Oikawa held up his hands in surrender but fixed his eyes on Kenma once more. “Pudding-chan,” Kenma’s eyes narrowed at the hated nickname, but Oikawa wasn’t cowed, “Tobio-chan is one of the most socially awkward people I have ever met.” Kenma felt like he should protest that. After all, Oikawa knew _him_. “The fact that the two of you talk as often as you do speaks for itself. Tobio-chan likes you.”

Kenma stared. Likes him? Of course Kageyama liked him. He wouldn’t be talking to him if he didn’t. “Okay?”

Oikawa’s lips pursed and he turned toward Kuroo imploringly. Kuroo sighed. “Kitten, Oikawa is trying to say that Kageyama _likes_ you. More than platonically. If you think about it, I think you’ll realize you like him as well.”

“I – I _what_?!”

“You message him constantly,” Kuroo started, ticking points off on his fingers as if he knew this conversation had been coming and was prepared for it. “Even more than you talk to me. You pause video games whenever you get his messages. You actually respond when he goes on about volleyball. You talk about him more than you talk about the people you see daily. I know more about Kageyama’s life than I want to-“

“So do I,” Oikawa muttered.

Kuroo rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored his roommate. “And you can’t tell me you aren’t excited to see him next week.”

Kenma swallowed hard around his suddenly dry throat. That wasn’t – Kuroo was taking everything out of context. His mind frantically flipped through all the information Kuroo just dumped on him, trying to find a way to discredit it.

His mind was frustratingly blank.

“That’s why your team was worried today,” Oikawa told him flatly. “They probably assume that the two of you are dating.”

They…they did? Did others think that? Shoyo? His parents?

…did Kageyama think that they…

“Just think about it, Kitten,” Kuroo said, his voice taking on the soft quality that told Kenma the older boy knew that Kenma needed time to process the information before they discussed it further. “Message me later, alright?”

Kenma could only nod as Kuroo ended the connection. Did…did he like Kageyama? Was that…was that the truth?

Kenma fell back on his bed and curled up on his side. It was…not exactly a horrifying thought. Maybe it would have been a few months ago. Now Kenma was just…confused.

Right, best to think this through. Kenma took a deep breath and pushed away the emotions he had yet to identify. It was easier to focus that way. He just needed to look at the facts. He could start with the list Kuroo had given him.

Fact 1: He messaged Kageyama often.

Thoughts: He did message Kageyama more than any of his other friends and he enjoyed their conversations. However, the two never spoke to one another on the phone or face-to-face.

Fact 2: He paused his games to speak to Kageyama.

Thoughts: True. Once again, he liked their conversations and he knew that Kageyama, like himself, would be anxious to receive a response. It would be rude to make him wait.

Fact 3: Volleyball

Thoughts: Kageyama lived and breathed volleyball, even more so than Shoyo. If they didn’t talk about volleyball, they wouldn’t speak as often as they did. And Kenma liked talking to him.

Fact 4: He talked about Kageyama often.

Thoughts: Kenma had not realized that he talked about Kageyama often. He most likely did so because not much had happened/changed in his life and he needed a topic whenever Kuroo wanted him to speak. He would need to ask someone else (probably Shoyo) if he talked about Kageyama often.

Fact 5: Kenma was excited to see him.

Thoughts: True, he was excited. He was also excited to see Shoyo and to see how Karasuno’s team was progressing with their new Ace and Captain.

Kenma sighed. He didn’t have a conclusion. Every point Kuroo mentioned could be argued. Though, it seemed that Kuroo wasn’t the only person that thought something was going on between himself and Kageyama…

Kenma sighed and rolled over onto his back before grabbing his PSP. He would think over the topic more at a later time. As for now, he needed a distraction.

*******

The topic didn’t stray far from his mind over the next week and Kenma was sick of it. The anxiousness that he had felt when he first began speaking to Kageyama had returned full-force and had caused Kageyama to ask Kenma, more than once, if everything was alright.

Which just made Kenma even more nervous.

That was why Kenma had just apologized, yet again, to his team as he set the ball too close to the net because his eyes had flickered to the door as someone walked into the gym.

“It’s okay!” Lev said brightly, a knowing smile on his own face. “Karasuno should be here soon!”

Kenma wined. Maybe Kuroo had a point if even Lev noticed…

“Are you alright, Kenma-san?” a melodic voice questioned from the other side of the net. Kenma turned his attention to Fukurodani’s captain and instantly caught the teasing glint in the other boys’ eyes.

It looks like Kenma needed to have a discussion with his best friend about keeping certain things private.

“Fine,” Kenma responded to his friend and Akaashi’s neutral expression broke momentarily as his lips twisted into an amused smirk. Kenma’s eyes narrowed. “And how is Tsukishima?”

And there went the smirk. Point: Kenma. “Fine. We don’t speak nearly as much as you and Kageyama.”

“Alright!” Yamamoto said quickly, clapping his hands together and stepping between Kenma and Akaashi. “Let’s get back to the-“ he broke off as multiple yells were heard and everyone turned toward the door.

Karasuno stepped into the gym to loudly yelled greetings. Kenma’s eyes were instantly drawn to the tall setter that he hadn’t seen since Spring Nationals. Kageyama’s blue eyes flickered around the room until they fell on Kenma and froze.

And, abruptly, Kenma realized that Kuroo (and, sadly, Oikawa) had been right.

He liked Kageyama Tobio.

And, based on the way Kageyama’s bright eyes were still locked on his own and the younger boy was making a beeline toward him despite his teammate’s loud protests, Kenma was pretty sure he felt the same way.

Well, it seemed that Kenma had some more questions to answer…but that could wait for now.


End file.
